This is an article from the March-April 2016 issue: Sending-Base Movements

Strategic Pursuit of CPMs Through International Students

Strategic Pursuit of CPMs Through International Students

“The university is a clear-cut fulcrum with which to move the world. More potently than by any other means, change the university and you change the world.” — Dr. Charles Malik, president of the UN General Assembly.

Don’t want to risk your life bringing the gospel to dangerous places like Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq or Syria? The Church must go to these places with the gospel, but we can also engage their future leaders studying on our doorsteps! Over a million international students study in the USA alone, while another 3 million leave their country to study in Europe or other parts of the world. Many of these are being prepared for key positions of leadership in their homeland.

Churches that eagerly prepare laborers for discipling nations are well advised to equip and engage their members to pursue God for movements through international students.

Consider these factors:

  • Many of today’s international leaders, including the current dictator of North Korea, studied outside their home country.
  • Many of tomorrow’s leaders—in all levels of government, all segments of society, and in every country—are away from home now as students.
  • Students studying abroad currently are often ready to learn, eager for friendship, spiritually hungry, open to a new worldview, and prepared to embrace a vision for making a difference back home.
  • Today’s students may influence or even determine the future receptivity of their homelands to church-planting movements.
  • International student ministry provides a low-cost, readily accessible training context for aspiring overseas laborers who want to develop the skills for pursuing God for cross-cultural movements.
  • While developing and mastering cross-cultural communication skills, prospective missionaries engaged with international students can demonstrate effectiveness with peoples similar to those they may later be called to reach—all prior to the heavy investment of relocation.

We are curently gathering articles and suggestions for an issue of MF on pursuing God for movements through international student ministry. Please forward suggestions, outlines or drafts to [email protected]

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